Crewe–Liverpool line

The Crewe–Liverpool line is a railway line in North West England that diverges from the West Coast Main Line at Weaver Junction 16 miles 53 chains (26.8 km) north of Crewe and runs to Liverpool Lime Street via Runcorn and Liverpool South Parkway.

Crewe–Liverpool
London Midland Class 350 Siemens Desiro at Liverpool Lime Street.
Overview
Owner	Network Rail
Locale	Liverpool Crewe Merseyside Cheshire North West England
Service
Operator(s)	East Midlands Railway London Northwestern Railway Northern TransPennine Express Avanti West Coast
Technical
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Route map Wirral line from Moorfields (193 52) Liverpool Lime Street Wirral line to Liverpool Central (192 21) Edge Hill 192 06 Edge Hill East Jn L&MR Liverpool–Manchester line to Liverpool Road Edge Hill Intercity Depot / to Edge Hill Marshalling Yard 191 00 Wavertree Jn Wavertree Sefton Park 189 57 Mossley Hill 189 00 West Allerton Garston and Liverpool Railway to Liverpool Central 187 77 Liverpool South Parkway (Allerton) (for John Lennon Airport) 187 74 Allerton Jn (Allerton TMD) CLC Liverpool–Manchester line to Manchester Central to Port of Garston 187 60 186 71 Allerton East Jn Speke East Jn Speke Jaguar Land Rover Halewood   Halebank Merseytravel boundary Ditton 182 67 Ditton East Jn St Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway to Runcorn Runcorn Railway Bridge over River Mersey 180 40 Runcorn 179 24 Halton Jn Halton Curve to Frodsham Runcorn Busway  A5126  Weston Link Chester–Warrington line through Sutton Tunnel Sutton Weaver  M56  West Coast Main Line to Warrington Bank Quay 174 70 Weaver Junction Dutton Viaduct over River Weaver Acton Bridge Hartford curve Mid-Cheshire line to Cuddington │ to Greenbank Hartford Vale Royal Viaduct over Weaver Navigation Winsford North Wales Coast Line to Chester Crewe–Manchester line to Sandbach Crewe Crewe–Derby line to Alsager Welsh Marches line to Nantwich West Coast Main Line to Stafford

History

The line was built in stages by the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, the St Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway and the London and North Western Railway during the mid-19th century. The route became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway in 1923, passing to the London Midland Region of British Railways in 1948.

Electrification

The line was electrified at 25 kV AC, using overhead wires under the BR 1955 Modernisation Plan. In 1959, preparations began at Liverpool Lime Street for the first stage of electrification of the West Coast Main Line. On 1 January 1962, electric services between Liverpool Lime Street and Crewe officially began.

Signalling

Re-signalling work from Liverpool to Weaver Junction was underway in 2016. Signal control moved to the Manchester rail operating centre removing five local signal boxes. The signal improvements improved journey times on this section of track.

Services

Services along the full length of the line are operated by Avanti West Coast and London Northwestern Railway, with East Midlands Railway, Northern and TransPennine Express operating between Liverpool South Parkway and Lime Street, a section which is shared by the Liverpool–Manchester lines.

References

Sources

• Cadwallader, Jonathan; Jenkins, Martin (2010). Merseyside Electrics. Ian Allan. ISBN 9780711034174. OCLC 455806364.